Fresno police continue gang crackdown

Posted at 12:46 PM on Saturday, May. 01, 2010
By Paula Lloyd / The Fresno Bee

Fresno police made 19 felony arrests Friday night as part of a southwest Fresno gang violence crackdown triggered by a double homicide on April 25.

Two of the arrestees were Bulldog gang members. Officers also seized a firearm and 5.3 grams of narcotics. Five of Friday's arrests were for narcotics counts.

Over the past six days, officers have arrested 296 people, including 107 on felony counts and 188 on misdemeanor counts. Officers have served 13 search warrants and conducted 140 parole or probation searches. Four firearms have been seized.

After three people died of gunshot wounds in two incidents on April 24 and April 25, Chief Jerry Dyer announced that more than 55 officers will saturate southwest Fresno's gang-infested neighborhoods looking for guns, drugs and leads to the homicides.

Police said on Thursday the crackdown will continue "into the foreseeable future."

It is unclear how many of those arrested are still in custody. The Sheriff's Office says it does not track which of the people arrested in the gang sweeps have been released from jail because of overcrowding.

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